New Shoe from Adidas is a Look into the Future of Mass Production

Adidas Futurecraft 4D

Adidas has announced plans to partner with 3D printing company Carbon to mass produce a new shoe line. The “Futurecraft 4D” will have a 3D printed sole, using Carbon’s process called “Digital Light Synthesis”. Adidas and Carbon plan to use this technique to make more than 100,000 pairs by the end of 2018.

Our partnership with Adidas will serve as an ongoing testament to how the digital revolution has reached the global manufacturing sector, changing the way physical goods are designed, engineered, made, and delivered.
Dr. Joseph Desimone, Carbon Co-Founder and CEO

The 3D printed sole of each Futurecraft 4D shoe can be different, based on the weight and gait of the customer. The honeycomb-like lattice structure which comprises the sole can modified by the design software so that any shoe can be uniquely tuned to best fit the athlete.

If you really want to make a shoe that’s a size 9, that same shoe for someone that is 180 pounds versus 100 pounds has got to be different.
Jaques Perrault, Designer, Adidas

Mass Personalized Production

We are now in an era where personalization options are seamlessly integrated into the mass production chain. As manufacturing becomes more tightly integrated with customer data, especially biometrics, there will be more products made just for you. It is easy to see how this process can eliminate a shoe size number or a “medium” shirt, but it will go far beyond fashion.

The medical sector is heavily investing in 3D printing techniques for life and death issues like pharmaceuticals and organs. In the not-so-distant future, patients will be prescribed dosages specifically their own body and circumstance that go beyond . Organ donations and transplants will become a thing of the past as laboratories can “grow” replacement organs using the patient’s DNA and tissue with no risk of rejection.

Outlook

Big Data is a scary topic for everyone, with seemingly endless opportunities for abuse by governments and corporations alike. However there are some undeniable upsides as well. The more data that can be gathered about your body, then the more finely tuned every aspect of your life can be. This uncomfortable truth will be a symbol of life in the 21st century.

Photo Credit: Adidas